Two-time defending Arnold Strongman Classic (ASC) champion Mitchell Hooper was on the cusp of a three-peat in Columbus. The Canadian strongman held a four-point lead over Lucas Hatton, who was putting on a career performance in his ASC debut.
The final event was the Stone-to-Shoulder, and the crowd knew that Hooper would go home with yet another trophy, cementing his legacy as an all-time great, or Hatton would Cinderlla-story his way onto the elite strongman scene with one of the sport’s most coveted titles.
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2025 ASC Stone-to-Shoulder Results
- Austin Andrade — 40 points
- Lucas Hatton — 30 points
- Mitchell Hooper — 20 points (T-third)
- Trey Mitchell — 20 points (T-third)
- Tom Stoltman — 20 points (T-third)
- Hafthor Björnsson — 10 points
- Evan Singleton — Two points (T-seventh)
- Nick Guardione — Two points (T-seventh)
- Bobby Thompson — no lift
- Maxime Boudreault — withdrew
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2025 ASC Stone-to-Shoulder Recap
Guardione was the first to the stage and immediately loaded the heavier stone to his shoulder in what appeared to be a good rep, but the head judge had not given the down command. Guardione fell to his knee during the second rep and had to dump the weight. He moved to the lighter stone and made easy work of it to get on the board. He repeated that feat at the buzzer.
Thompson hobbled into the arena injured and waved praise to the crowd, knowing he would not attempt either stone.
Stoltman made easy work of the heavier stone, hitting two reps in the first 40 seconds. “The King of the Stones” wiped down his arms quickly before securing a third rep, which he accidentally dumped behind him, costing him the rep. Fatigue won out, and he waved off the stage with 20 points.
Andrade took to the stage with a heightened focus. The whistle blew, and the heavier stone went straight to his shoulder. He repeated the feat twice more to take the event lead. A successful fourth rep was a huge send-off to his ASC debut.
Singleton dumped the heavier stone behind him on his first rep before failing his second attempt. He shook his head in the negative as he headed to the lighter stone, which he did quick work of for two reps, though he nearly slipped to disaster on his second rep.
Mitchell lifted the heavier stone clean, but it did not count because he had failed to return it to the mat. He secured a good rep on his second attempt and emptied his tank to get a second rep for 20 points total.
Björnsson entered the arena knowing that bronze was his and that he was alone with any number of reps of the heavier stone. He locked out a first rep in 30 seconds before missing his second and third attempts. He tried to hype up the crowd for a final lift, but his tank was empty.
Hatton knew he needed to match or eclipse Andrade and have Hooper perform poorly for a shot at the title. Hatton made quick work of two reps within a minute, but they cost much of the energy he had left. He recovered for nearly 40 seconds before locking out a third rep.
Hooper knew he would win the overall competition if he could lift the heavier stone for a single rep. He did it for the game, set, and match in eight seconds. He gave the crowd a second successful rep since they clamored for it; that was all she wrote.
Mitchell Hooper is the 2025 ASC champion.
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Featured image: @arnoldsports on Instagram
